In February, Angela McGlowan left[1] Fox News as a "contributor" after her contract expired to officially run for Congress. The implication, of course, is that having a media contract while running for office would be a conflict. Yet today, Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer hosted McGlowan and identified her -- presumably incorrectly -- as a current "Fox News contributor," and turned to her for political analysis about the Gulf of Mexico oil crisis.

McGlowan appeared alongside Democratic strategist and current Fox News contributor Joe Trippi. While McGlowan offered analysis about the Gulf spill, which included that it could be "Obama's Katrina" and "Obama's Watergate," Fox News text identified her as a congressional candidate. At the end of the segment, Hemmer said: "Angela, I know you're running for Congress in Mississippi, in the interest of full disclosure, we mention that, and thank you for coming on today." At the start of the segment, Hemmer simply stated: "Angela McGlowan's a Fox News contributor."

When defeated Kentucky Senate candidate Trey Grayson (R) complained[2] that opponent Rand Paul is on Fox "all of the time," Fox News host Neil Cavuto responded by claiming[3] they invited Grayson on "every time" they hosted Paul. Did Bill Hemmer adhere to Cavuto and Fox News' "fair and balanced" standards and extend invitations to McGlowan's Republican opponents[4] -- both of whom have raised more money than McGlowan -- to appear on the show to offer political analysis? And what about Rep. Travis Childers (D), the incumbent those Mississippi Republicans are vying to unseat?

McGlowan's campaign states[5]that[6] she is a "Former Fox News political analyst." McGlowan used[1] her platform as a Fox News employee to not only announce that she would run for Congress, but also lobby for Mississippi votes. Indeed, McGlowan's purported political analyses sounded little different from campaign speeches. Take this McGlowan appearance from Fox Business in January:

MCGLOWAN: I had four health care town hall meetings in the state of Mississippi, people are getting more educated now. And because of this tea party movement, people know what is going on and a lot of people don't want this health care bill. They want health care reform but they want the right type of reform and Obama did promise there would be transparency. So people are tired of this multi mirror moves." [Cavuto, Fox Business Network, 1/15/10]

As a post-script, McGlowan's candidacy seems to be primarily defined by her former Fox News employment. Her campaign press releases regularly[7] identify her first as a former Fox News employee, and numerous newspaper articles identify her solely as a former Fox News analyst. Take these examples within the past few days:

Associated Press[4]: "The latest finance reports show Nunnelee has collected $642,968. That compares to $127,251 for former Eupora Mayor Henry Ross and $87,093 for former Fox News analyst Angela McGlowan of Oxford."

Desoto Times Tribune[8]: "Former Bush Administration Justice Department official Henry Ross, who faces fellow Republicans, Sen. Alan Nunnelee and former FOX political analyst Angela McGlowan, said he represents a fresh perspective in the First Congressional District race."

CQ Politics[9]: "When former Fox News political commentator Angela McGlowan[10] entered Mississippi's 1st district GOP primary in February, there was some speculation that she might harness the anti-establishment sentiment and give highly touted state Sen. Alan Nunnelee[11] a run for his money. Four months later, McGlowan seems to have flamed out."